Sister or Mother
by FaithInHim4ever
Summary: Aquata is the eldest of Triton's seven daughters. But with their mother gone, even with Andrina's help, sometimes Aquata feels like she's their mother instead of their sister. R/R


DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own any of the chars from TLM. They belong to Disney. I do however own anyone you don't recognize. I also own Andrina's special name for Ariel.

God loves you  
Enjoy!

A/N: This story came to me last night and I had to write it out! I hope everyone likes it! Again, I'm using the Kenneth Mars version of Triton for this, along with the sisters' personalities from the TV Series.

"Sister or Mother"

Fifteen-year-old Aquata sighed as she watched her younger sisters playing in the rec room.

She knew it was only a matter of time before Arista, who had just turned nine, started with their now three-year-old sister, Ariel.

It had been like this even when their mother, Athena had been alive.

But it seemed Arista was picking on Ariel even more now that she was gone.

It was true that Ariel was a good girl most of the time and rarely gave their father, King Triton, or Aquata herself any problems.

But like all toddlers, there were times when she tried to push the boundaries.

As Ariel contentedly played with a few of her favorite toys, which consisted of a plush seal and two dolls, Aquata grinned at her. She was a cute one.

Just then, Sebastian swam into the room to announce it was lunchtime.

As he entered, he accidentally got caught in one of Adella's sea scooter wheels.

As the crab went rolling across the floor, Ariel couldn't help it and burst into a fit of giggles.

Aquata was about to remind her that laughing at friends wasn't nice, but found herself trying to hold back her own laughter at the sight.

Once Sebastian had been extracted from the runaway ride by Aquata, he glared at Adella before delivering the message he had come to give them.

"Your fada wants all of you in the dining room for lunch. He said he has a big surprise for everyone."

Aquata tried to act excited for Ariel's benefit. She knew how much her little sister loved surprises.

"Daddy has a surprise for us?" Ariel asked excitedly as Aquata lifted her into her arms and carried her towards the dining room.

"Uh-huh." Aquata confirmed. "Let's go see what it is." With that, she led the way downstairs.

Getting to the dining room, Aquata set Ariel in her booster seat and sat next to her.

Andrina took her place across from Ariel and started making silly faces to get her to giggle. She and Ariel were really close, even though they were eight years apart.

As Ariel went to reach for something on the table, Andrina shook her head.

"No, El." She said, using her special name for Ariel. "You need to wait a little bit."

Ariel reluctantly withdrew her hand. She almost always listened to Andrina.

"Good girl. " Andrina praised her. "Wanna play the insy-winsy spider fish?"

Ariel smiled. She loved that game a lot.

"Yeah!" She agreed happily.

"All right. But you have to pay attention to me and remember, indoor voice in the dining room." Andrina reminded her gently.

"Okay." Ariel agreed before trying to settle down.

Aquata threw Andrina a grateful look. Sometimes Andrina handled Ariel better than she did.

The insy-winsy spider fish game kept Ariel occupied for the next ten minutes.

It wasn't until Triton entered the room that disaster struck.

Andrina had just gotten to the end of the song for the third time, when Arista reached over and pulled a lock of Ariel's red hair.

"Ow!" Ariel cried out before the tears started to flow.

As she let out a painful wail, Andrina was at her little sister's side in a flash.

She took Ariel out of her seat and cuddled her close while swimming back to her own seat. She would put her back in her booster seat once she had calmed her down.

While Andrina took care of Ariel, Aquata concentrated on Arista.

Aquata glared at her. She knew it was only a matter of time.

"Arista, why did you do that to Ariel?" Aquata demanded. "She didn't do anything to you. She was minding her own business and being very good. Which is more than I can say for you."

Arista shrugged.

"I was bored. " She replied. "Besides, the insy-winsy spider fish is stupid."

Aquata ignored her sister's last statement.

"Arista, that's no excuse to pick on Ariel or hurt her. After dinner, you're gonna spend some time in your room."

"You can't tell me what to do!" Arista shot back.

"Arista," Triton addressed suddenly, making Aquata jump a little. "After dinner, you're to go to your room for ten minutes and then you're to apologize to Ariel."

"Yes, Daddy." Arista said with a frown.

Triton nodded.

"All right, El, here we go. " Andrina said as she placed her little sister back in her booster seat.

Ariel frowned, although she had stopped crying a few minutes ago.

"It's okay." Andrina assured her. "I'll be right across from you like before. " She then whispered, "I'll protect you from Arista."

Ariel nodded. She gave Andrina a small smile and blew her a kiss as she watched her swim back to her seat.

"Thank you, Andrina." Triton said as he smiled around at his family.

He winked kindly at Ariel, who giggled at her father's actions.

Once the food was served and everyone was enjoying their meal, Triton decided to make his announcement.

"I have a surprise for everyone." He said.

This got everyone's attention.

Arista stopped blowing bubbles in her milk. As for Aadella, she stopped trying to steal the last of Attina's squid fries and Andrina stopped mid way in the middle of playing another round of the insy-winsy spider fish with Ariel.

All seven mer-princesses gave their father their full attention.

Triton smiled around at them all.

He knew they had all had a tough six months since their mother had died.

He thought a vacation would do them all some good.

"What's the surprise, Daddy?" Ariel asked eagerly. "Are we gonna ride in the cariot?"

"It's chariot, stupid!" Arista corrected none too nicely.

Ariel ignored her as she gazed at her father with curiosity in her blue eyes.

Triton glared at Arista before answering his youngest's question.

"Well, I'm taking you and your sisters on a little trip." He replied. "We'll be leaving this Saturday and returning in a week."

"Where are we going?" Was Andrina's question.

The others asked similar questions.

As for Ariel, she stayed silent. She was excited to hear what her father's answer would be.

Once the girls had quieted down, Triton answered their questions.

"We're going to visit Aunt Florence in her palace up South." He answered.

Aquata and Andrina were excited about the trip, but the younger ones seemed to be in deep thought.

Ariel, especially. She had never been to see this person who her father called Florence before and she was excited to see some place new.

That night, Ariel had trouble sleeping. It wasn't for lack of trying either. Her mind was too focused on the upcoming trip with her family to the great south. She was excited to see what new adventures awaited her there.

Andrina had to sing their mother's lullaby to her two extra times for her to drift off to sleep.

On the morning of the trip, Ariel awoke early due to being so excited.

Andrina was up with her because she didn't want her waking up the entire palace.

She managed to keep Ariel occupied with two rounds of the insy-winsy spider fish, followed by a game of Do as I'm Doing, which was a take on follow the leader.

Finally, she read her a few stories.

Just as she was finishing up "If You Give a Whale a Waffle," their other sisters started to awaken.

Aquata was the first one up.

She grinned when she saw Ariel sitting contentedly in Andrina's lap, sucking her thumb and listening to her read her a story.

"How long has she been up?" Aquata asked, referring to their youngest sister.

She planted a kiss on Ariel's cheek and put a hand through her hair.

"An hour or so before dawn break." Andrina replied.

Seeing her eldest sister, Ariel took her thumb out of her mouth, gazed up at Aquata and asked, "Can we go yet?"

"Not yet, you silly girl!" Aquata said as she bent down and tickled Ariel's tummy. "Daddy's not even ready to leave yet."

"I wanna see Daddy." Ariel declared.

She was about to swim off, when Andrina stopped her.

"Wait a minute, El. We'll see Daddy soon." She told her patiently. "He's probably getting ready for the trip too."

Ariel frowned, but decided to go along with it today. She was in a good mood, so listening wasn't hard to do.

Aquata mouthed 'thank you to Andrina before going to wake up the others.

By the time the family was ready to leave, Adella had thrown two temper tantrums and Arista had managed to get a telling off from Aquata for mouthing off to her.

As for Ariel, she was starting to get tired.

She rubbed at her eyes while trying to get comfortable in Andrina's embrace. She was also starting to whine, which was a clear sign she was ready for a nap.

While Andrina sung her their mother's lullaby, Aquata dealt with Arista.

As for the others, Attina was busy staring out the window while Alana colored in a coloring book and Adella played with a mini scooter she had brought along.

Ariel fell asleep a short time later while Aquata managed to get Arista and Alana to play a quiet game together.

Just when it looked like everyone was settled, Arista complained that Adella was hogging all the room on her side of the chariot and Ariel awoke crying and informed Andrina that her tummy hurt.

After Andrina got Ariel to drink some juice that always settled her stomach on long chariot rides, she sung her back to sleep while Aquata and Attina were able to settle the argument between Arista and Adella.

When they finally arrived at Florence's palace, most of the mer-princesses had fallen asleep.

Andrina and Aquata were the only ones awake.

Florence came out to greet the family. She brought along a few servants to carry their luggage into the palace.

Florence was a mermaid in her mid-forties. She had brown hair that was graying a little and kind, green eyes.

"Triton, it's so good to see you again!" She exclaimed while embracing her old friend. "And your daughters have gotten so big."

Triton beamed at his girls as Florence began to fuss over them.

When she got to Ariel, the youngest was just waking up. She was still hurting and she had it in her mind that she wanted her father.

As she opened her eyes fully, she relaxed when she realized she was still with Andrina.

"This can't be Ariel." Florence said as she smiled down at the three-year-old. "She's too big."

Ariel wasn't in the mood for strangers fussing over her and she made it clear by clinging to Andrina's shoulder and letting out a soft whimper.

"Shh, its okay, El. " Andrina assured her. "I have you."

Ariel calmed at her sister's familiar voice, but she was still in pain.

"Aw, is someone a little cranky?" Florence cooed at Triton's youngest.

"It was a long trip. " Triton said in Ariel's defense. "And my little shining pearl was so excited, she woke up early."

Florence laughed softly.

"I'll hold her later." She said. "Come in, all of you, come in. I have fresh seaweed cookies and milk for the girls and some delightful pastries for you."

This got everyone moving.

They entered Florence's palace and followed her into the dining room.

Once there, she had a servant Octopus bring out some snacks and drinks on a tray.

"Does Ariel like cookies?" Florence asked.

"Oh my, yes." Triton said.

Florence nodded. She swam over to the youngest mermaid who was still in her older sister's arms and extended a cookie out to her.

"Ariel, would you like a cookie?" She asked.

Ariel shook her head before burying her face in Andrina's shoulder once again.

"She's not fond of strangers." Triton explained.

Florence didn't seem to hear him as she tried yet again to get Ariel to take the snack.

"Oh everyone likes my cookies." She insisted. "Here you go." She said, referring to Ariel. "It's a cookie just for you."

Having about enough of this, Ariel pushed Florence's hand away before bursting into tears.

She uttered one word through her sobs, making her point perfectly clear.

"Daddy!"

"Oh my poor Ariel. " Triton cooed as he swam over to where Andrina was sitting and took his youngest into his arms. "What happened? Did Florence give my little Ariel a fright?"

From his left, Sebastian commented, "She gives everyone a fright."

Triton ignored him.

However, Andrina giggled at the crab's statement.

Once Ariel was in her father's arms, she started calming down. She was still crying, but not as hard as before.

"Aw, there you go. " Triton said softly. "That's my little Ariel."

Once Ariel was calm, Triton turned his attention back to Florence.

While the King and his old friend chatted, Sebastian tried to get Ariel to giggle. He had always been able to make her laugh in the past.

But so far, Sebastian wasn't having any success. He found this strange and started to get worried for his friend. He cared for Ariel very much and he didn't like to see her sad. He loved all of Triton's daughters, but he had a special spot in his heart for the youngest.

"Ariel," Sebastian said in an attempt to get her attention. "Watch dis." With that, he started playing around, hoping it would get her to giggle.

She managed to crack a smile, but that was all.

As Ariel felt her father hug her close, she closed her eyes and tried her best to drift off to sleep.

Sebastian frowned at his friend in concern. He had a feeling something was wrong.

Ariel awoke a few hours later to the sound of Aquata scolding someone as well as the feeling of Andrina's hand combing through her hair.

The familiar motion was enough to keep her calm as she woke up.

"Hey El." Andrina said softly. "You're awake. Is your tummy feeling better?"

Ariel was about to say yes, when she felt the pain again.

She shook her head as the tears started anew.

Putting her thumb in her mouth, she reached her free arm out to Andrina.

Andrina sighed as she shook her head.

"It's time to go night-night now." She explained patiently. "I'll pat you, but I can't hold you."

Aquata, overhearing Andrina's words, decided to intervene.

"Is her stomach still hurting her?" Aquata asked in concern.

"Yeah." Andrina replied.

"You can hold her." Aquata told her. "When she's sick, it's different."

Andrina nodded.

Lifting Ariel out of her temporary big girl bed, she set her in her lap.

Once the three-year-old was as comfortable as she could get for the moment, Andrina started singing her their mother's lullaby in hopes it would help Ariel drift back to sleep.

It almost worked, until Ariel threw up a few minutes later.

She was crying from pain now and she also felt hot.

"I'll get Father." Aquata said as she swam out of the room. She turned back as she swam through the doorway and glared at Adella. "Don't move." She said sternly. With that, she was gone.

"Shh, its okay, Ariel. It's okay." Andrina soothed.

"My tummy hurts!" Ariel whimpered against her sister's shoulder. "I want Daddy!"

"Aquata's gone to get him. " Andrina assured her. With that, she started singing the insy-winsy spider fish softly in an attempt to distract Ariel from what was going on.

Aquata returned with their father shortly afterwards.

While Triton tended to his youngest, Aquata took Adella off time out and had a long talk with her about what not to do with her toys as well as about sharing.

Meanwhile, Triton was examining his youngest.

He felt Ariel's forehead and frowned when he discovered how warm she was.

"Daddy, I feel yucky!" Ariel whimpered as more tears came.

"I know you do, my Ariel. Can you tell me what hurts?" He asked. He knew Ariel was feeling bad, but he always encouraged his daughters to use their words.

"My tummy!" Ariel cried while reaching her arms up to him.

Triton's heart was breaking for his youngest, but he couldn't hold her just yet.

"I'll be right back." He said more to Andrina.

Andrina nodded.

The moment he left the room, Ariel burst into tears. This night was not going well for her at all.

She wasn't feeling good, she was in a strange place and now her father was ignoring her, at least that's how she saw it.

"Shh, it's all right, Ariel." Andrina assured her. "Daddy will be back."

"I want Daddy!" Ariel cried into Andrina's shoulder. "I want Daddy!"

"He'll be back." Andrina repeated soothingly.

Triton returned a few minutes later and set to work trying to help Ariel feel better.

Andrina helped out, since Ariel was more keen on having her father hold her than actually cooperating at the moment.

Triton obliged his youngest and let Andrina help him take care of her.

While Aquata cleaned up the mess, Andrina got Ariel a bucket from the bathroom and brought it back. She also brought her a cup of water and her favorite plush seal.

Triton thanked his second eldest as he sat down in a chair with Ariel in his lap.

Andrina kissed Ariel's cheek and started stroking her hair comfortingly. She hated seeing Ariel in pain or upset and she wanted her to feel better. She really wanted Ariel to have fun while they were here, but she knew that wouldn't happen unless her sister's stomachache went away.

But in order for that to happen, Andrina knew they all had to help out. She was determined to do her part to help Ariel feel better. She only prayed it would happen sooner rather than later.


End file.
